Woodchucks
by FaithinBones
Summary: Christine joins the Woodchucks, a scouting group dedicated to science. A summer camping trip brings unexpected surprises for not only Christine, but Booth and Brennan.
1. Chapter 1

(After Season 12)

This is a little fanfic challenge that has come up for Bones fanfic writers. The challenge is simple: Brennan/Christine/Summer Camp. Hope you like it.

I definitely don't own Bones. If I did we'd be in a hiatus waiting for season 13 to start.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Christine had found out from Jack Hodgins that the Jeffersonian Institute sponsored a program similar to the Girls Scouts, but was more inclined to introduce and study the hard sciences. The Woodchucks had been a popular program for the last twenty years and the Jeffersonian board of regents was very happy with the program. Their goal was to increase the number of women that entered scientific fields in college and they found that this program really created excitement in the girls who joined.

Every year the Jeffersonian ran a summer camp and the young ladies were exposed to nature and the fields of botany and etymology. The girls also studied meteorology and zoology. The Woodchucks took great pride in themselves and were grateful for the knowledge they accumulated due to the efforts by the interns and doctors at the Institute. Dr. Jack Hodgins had been involved with the Woodchucks ever since the autumn of 2009 when some Woodchucks had brought in some human remains that they had found in a river while they were eco-camping on the banks of the Savage River. Hodgins had been very impressed with their professionalism even if Brennan hadn't been at the time. The girls had been very careful how they had gathered evidence and had recorded everything they had done step by step, but Brennan had worried that the girls had disturbed a federal crime scene and she had let the girls know. The Woodchucks had been unhappy with Brennan, but Cam had stepped in and mollified the girls by praising them and making sure they got a badge to commemorate their good work.

The fact that the attorney for the defense had tried to throw the case out because of the girl's involvement and had failed had impressed the etymologist and that had spurred him on to volunteer to teach these very intelligent young ladies when he had the time.

When Christine had shown some interest in the program Hodgins had been thrilled. He loved the child and wanted only the best for her. She seemed to have a natural affinity towards science and seemed to be leaning towards zoology as a possible career in the future. Of course she was just ten years old and she might grow out of that and move towards another interest, but Hodgins wanted to encourage her to the best of his ability. He was aware that Brennan was trying to steer the child towards forensic anthropology, but he didn't let that dampen his enthusiasm. Booth wanted Christine to explore a lot of different interests while she was a child to make sure she chose a profession that made her happy and Hodgins agreed with that approach. His own boys were encouraged to explore different hobbies and Michael Vincent had joined the Boy Scouts and a local rocketry club as well as attending an art class run by his mother every Tuesday night.

Trying to help Christine in her campaign with her mother to allow her to join the Woodchucks, Hodgins gave her several brochures to show Brennan. A few weeks before summer camp was supposed to start, Christine gave both her father and mother the brochures and tried to talk them in to letting her join the Woodchucks and attend the eco-camping trip.

Booth had been very enthusiastic when he first looked at the brochures, Brennan not so much. "But Christine the camp is for two weeks and we were planning on flying to Cambodia and visiting several temples at around that time. I've already made arrangements to go. You will find that trip much more educational."

When either Booth, Christine or Hank tried to get their way about something they knew that whining and pleading wouldn't work with Brennan. They knew that they had to present their case logically and in an orderly fashion. Of course it had taken Booth years to catch on to that trick, but he had passed it on to his kids and most of the time Brennan would give in to their wants if they went about it calmly. Hank was still learning that lesson, but Christine had nailed it years ago. "Mom, the Woodchucks are going to have Dr. Hastings in charge of their summer camp this year. She's a zoologist and Uncle Jack says she's the top in her field. There are also two interns that will be there to help supervise. One of them is your intern, Ms. White and the other one is Ms. Smythe, she's an intern in the Native American Plant Exhibit department. Since I'm interested in zoology I thought this might be a good time to join the Woodchucks. Dr. Hastings has two doctorates. Uncle Jack says the other one is in geology. She studied that first and then later found out she loved zoology. Doesn't she sound like someone you'd want me to around? I mean, she's the head of her department and Uncle Jack says her exhibitions are really great. I'd be lucky to join the Woodchucks right now. Don't you think so? Besides we've been to Cambodia before. This will be a new experience for me."

Before Brennan could answer, Booth spoke up. "Wait a minute, now I remember. Aren't the Woodchucks those little girls that brought in a murder victim a few years ago?" The fact that those little girls had treated the victim with professionalism had been interesting to Booth, but the fact that they had handled a dead body had more than creeped him out. "You got mad at them for screwing up a crime scene."

"Well I did at the time, but when it went to trial their actions weren't considered detrimental to the case." Brennan had forgiven the Woodchucks their transgressions a long time ago.

"Ooh, a dead body. Really?" Christine's need to belong to the Woodchucks had just increased. "That is so cool."

"No it is not cool." Booth didn't like the eagerness on his little girls' face. "The body was disgusting and they touched it and moved it and . . . that was not cool at all."

Used to Booth's dislike of bodies, Brennan knew he was very good at feigning calmness around victims unless it was one of the really more horrid finds like the ones that reminded him of chili or food items. He didn't like murder victims to look like food. "Well, to be honest it was cool. Those girls did an excellent job. They were obviously taught well . . . perhaps you should join the Woodchucks, Christine."

Excited, Christine tried to keep from jumping up and down with joy. She hadn't sealed the deal yet since her father was now objecting. She hadn't counted on that. "Uncle Jack says that Dr. Hastings will be teaching the Woodchucks about tracking animals and collecting plants this year. I don't think she's going to be looking for dead bodies, Dad."

Brennan had thought it over and she didn't see a problem with their child joining such a prestigious children's program. "Booth I think Christine would benefit from belonging to the Woodchucks and clearly the odds would be astronomical that history would repeat itself and the Woodchucks would discover a body in the woods this time. That would be ludicrous."

His eyes boring into his wife, Booth glumly placed his hands in his pants pockets. "We're talking about Booth luck now. Christine is a Booth and we're known for ludicrous things happening to us, but okay I guess she can join." Turning towards daughter, Booth shook his head. "If you find a human body in the woods you do not have permission to touch it."

Amused, Christine laughed. "Oh, Dad don't be silly. That's not going to happen."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know if this sounds interesting. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

(In the future)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Pulling a few strings, none them having to be pulled very hard, Brennan volunteered to help chaperone the Jeffersonian Institute's Woodchuck Summer Camp. She simply pointed out to the Director of the Jeffersonian that she was probably the most qualified person on the staff to help Dr. Hastings with the camp and the Director had agreed. Dr. Feight considered Dr. Brennan to be one of his most valuable employees and if she wanted to chaperone a bunch of kids in the woods, he wasn't about to stop her.

Much to her surprise, Booth wasn't thrilled that Brennan was going to be at the summer camp for two weeks. "Bones, Christine needs to spread her wings and she can't do that if you're hanging around."

"Nonsense." Brennan felt that Booth wasn't seeing the total picture. "She's only ten years old and much too young to spread her wings. Plus, I will be there to help teach classes. I am much more qualified than Dr. Hastings and the interns. I'm a polymath and probably know just as much as Dr. Hastings about geology and meteorology. I also have a degree in zoology and even though it isn't my specialty I am qualified to teach it. Of course, since that is her specialty I will bow to her expertise in that area and she will be in charge of the summer camp not I."

Since he would have had more success beating his head against a brick wall, Booth gave up. Sometimes it was just easier that way. "Well, I really was looking forward to going to Cambodia with you. I'll just cancel my vacation and we'll go another time. I still have three months to use my vacation time before accounting and Human Resources start harassing me."

Starting to feel guilty, Brennan moved closer to Booth and placed her hands on his chest. "I didn't mean to disappoint you Booth, but this is the first time Christine is going to be at summer camp and I don't feel comfortable letting her go by herself. Though it's true she's been away from us for more than two weeks that was with Max or Angela. She won't know anyone at the camp and I don't really know Dr. Hastings that well."

"I get it, Bones." And he did. Their children's welfare had always been number one with them and Christine had been through a lot in her short life. Booth thought it was a miracle that the child was mentally healthy and didn't have any hang ups. "You go and we'll arrange for an exotic vacation later. It's really okay, just . . . just let her spread her wings a little bit, Bones."

"I will. I will not be a . . . a . . . oh it's very annoying when I wish to use a popular slang phrase and I can't remember the exact phrasing . . . an airplane parent? I know that isn't correct."

"Helicopter parent?" Sometimes he knew what she was talking about and sometimes he didn't. In this case, he guessed right and was rewarded with a passionate kiss and a rather aggressive grope of sensitive places of his body.

Instantly turned on, Booth picked up his wife and moved down the hallway towards their bedroom. "It's a good thing the kids are in bed . . . You started something I intend to finish."

"Good that was my intention." Brennan loved to push her husband's buttons. She knew she could rely on him to satisfy her biological urges when she needed it.

Oooooooooooooooo

Dr. Lisa Hastings hadn't been too bothered that Dr. Temperance Brennan had invited herself onto the staff of the summer camp. Lisa considered Brennan to be brilliant and a very intriguing personality. She too was writing a novel and hoped to be a best-selling author someday. Because her novel was set in Ancient Rome, she didn't feel like she needed to be competitive with the anthropologist. Lisa knew that writing was a solo act and was actually inspired that Brennan had sold her first novel at around the age of thirty. Being thirty four she felt that there were opportunities out there if she persevered.

The intern Nancy White was one of Brennan's interns and knew what to expect from her mentor. Julia Smythe on the other hand was less than thrilled that Dr. Brennan was joining the staff. She had been one of the Woodchucks who had discovered the body in the Savage River nine years earlier. As far as she was concerned, she and her fellow Woodchucks had done an exemplary job preparing the remains of the murder victim for transportation and Dr. Brennan had found fault instead. Still she was grateful that she wasn't Brennan's intern and she could certainly put up with Brennan for two weeks.

Christine was very excited to be going to summer camp. She'd become even more excited when she found out they were going to sleep in tents and pee in the woods. It was all that she'd hoped it would be. Her father had given her a compass and a pocket knife before she left for the camp and had told her to make sure she carried them at all times. Impressed that her father trusted her with a knife even if it was a small one, Christine had been filled with pride ever since.

The summer camp was being held at the Jefferson National Forest. It has 2,000 miles of hiking trails which include the Appalachian National Scenic Trail that extends more than 330 miles through the forest. Dr. Hastings thought the girls would benefit from hiking along these trails and hoped to be able to point out the abundance of native plants and fauna in the area. Dr. Hastings planned to have a team make camp ahead of them each day. The team's job would be to set up a few tents and made sure that lunch was waiting for the Woodchucks at the end of their hike. The afternoons were going to be used for exploration and lectures using their camp as the hub of activity.

On the third day of their hike, about an hour from their next camp, Page Rivers had to use the bathroom and left the trail while almost everyone waited for her to do her business. To make sure she wasn't completely alone, Christine went with her. While the rest of the Woodchucks were chatting about a copper head they had seen earlier in the day a sudden scream broke the silence of the woods. Alarmed, Brennan charged into the woods followed close behind by Lisa Hastings. Brennan knew that it hadn't been Christine who had screamed, but that didn't mean her child wasn't in trouble. The two interns stayed behind to watch over the remaining Woodchucks.

Racing through the trees, Brennan soon caught up with Christine and Page. Both girls seemed be unharmed standing near a large oak tree, but Page was clearly angry while Christine was amused. Page stood glaring at the ground, her arms crossed against her chest and a deep scowl on her face. Once she was close enough, Brennan noticed a rotting corpse a few feet from where the girls were standing and sighed. "Who screamed?"

Clearly embarrassed, Page huffed. "It wasn't my fault. I wouldn't have screamed, but I stepped on it and when I looked down I saw this . . . this rotting hand under my foot and I screamed. Anyone would have . . . I mean, I wasn't expecting that and you shouldn't hold that against me."

Christine placed her hand over her mouth and giggled. "Boy Mom, Dad is going to be so mad."

Another sigh escaping her, Brennan slowly nodded her head. "I think it's safe to say that that particular prediction will come true. I promised that you would not find any human bodies and of course you did."

A twinkle in her eyes, Christine nudged her friend in the side and grinned. "Dad said I'd have Booth luck and he was right. Wow, I can't wait for Dad to see this, he is going to be so impressed that we found a body like he predicted we might."

"I wouldn't use the word impressed, Christine." Brennan turned to look at Dr. Hastings. "I better call my husband. He's works with the Major Crimes Division of the FBI. He will want to be part of the investigation."

Christine watched her mother squat near the body, but touch nothing. "Would you like me to go get your backpack?"

"Yes, thank you Honey." Brennan stared at the body and observed several anomalies. "I have some latex gloves I can use to start a preliminary exam."

Lisa Hastings shook her head. "This is going to play havoc with our schedule."

Her gaze still on the corpse, Brennan nodded her head. "Yes. The girls would probably find it interesting. They could stand near the oak tree and observe unless you think it would be wiser to just let them continue on the hike."

Thinking it over, Lisa shrugged her shoulders. "I'll ask them and see if any of them want to observe, but I won't insist. Those that want to continue can be escorted by the interns to our next camp site."

Christine turned and fled through the trees eager to get her mother's backpack. As she broke through the trees and onto the path, Christine waved her hands at the waiting girls and interns. "Page found a body and Mom is going examine it. She's going to call my Dad who works for the FBI to come and see about it. This is so cool."

Exhaling deeply, Julia Smythe shook her head and watched Christine pick up her mother's backpack and race back into the woods. "Shit . . . shit, shit, shit. I am not training to be a forensic anthropologist."

Nancy glanced at the woods and saw Dr. Hastings emerge on the trail. "Well I am. I hope I get to help examine the body."

The Woodchucks all nodded their heads and they all started to talk at the same time. "This is so cool."

"I hope we get to look at the body at least."

"I wish I had worn my old hiking boots. These boots are new and Mom will get mad at me if I get blood on these too."

"I think Page was the one who screamed, I am so not going to let her forget this."

"I wonder what we're going to eat for lunch. I hope it's not hamburgers again."

"I wonder if we'll get a badge for this if we get to observe a crime scene."

"I've seen Christine's Dad. He is so dreamy even if he is old."

Ooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

(In the future)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

The phone call had gone about as well as Brennan had thought it would. " _What the hell do you mean Christine and Page found a body? Bones . . ."_

"Booth, you need to calm down." Brennan could hear the volume of his voice rising as well as the anger in his voice. "She's fine. If anything she's excited. She can't wait for her father to arrive at the crime scene to start the investigation and it is a crime scene Booth. Christine is so proud of your position at the FBI."

" _Bones, tell me you aren't letting our little girl and the rest of the Woodchucks help prep the body. Tell me they aren't doing that Bones."_

His voice was still rising and Brennan knew that wasn't good for him or her. "Don't be ridiculous. I didn't approve of Woodchuck interference at a crime scene nine years ago and I have forbidden their interference this time. They are all standing approximately twenty feet from the victim and observing . . . this is a science oriented organization, Booth. They have been involved in numerous necropsies and the sight of death and blood doesn't bother them. Christine has also participated in many necropsies with both Hodgins and I. She is fascinated. No one is upset, Booth. No one is being forced to stay. They can all go to the campground if they want to and none of them chose to do so. These young ladies are interested in scientific professions in the future. Why deprive them of this experience?"

Booth leaned his head against the bedroom door frame and tried to calm down. He tried to remember that he was married to a genius squint who was also a fantastic teacher and a great mother. He knew she wouldn't do anything to harm their daughter or the other little girls. He also reminded himself that those Woodchucks were squints and they loved that shit. " _I'll get Angela to watch Hank. I'm on the way"_

The call ended, Brennan informed Lisa Hastings that the FBI would arrive as soon as possible. The morning getting late, she made a recommendation. "Why don't you send the interns and the girls to the camp? By the time they get there, lunch will probably be ready."

Much to the surprise of the adults, the Woodchucks didn't want to go. After a lot of pleading by the girls, Lisa and Brennan finally relented reminding them that no one would be allowed to complain if they missed lunch and would have to wait for dinner before they ate.

Wise beyond her years, Christine remained sitting on a rotting log careful to keep twenty feet from the body. A crime scene was the first step towards a conviction and that had been ingrained into her by her mother since she was young. The other girls took their cue from Christine and stayed well back from the body too.

The intern Julia Smythe had wanted to leave for the camp, but was forced to stay because everyone else had wanted to stay. This wasn't how she had planned her days in the summer camp. It's not that the body bothered her, it was the fact that the carefully planned lecture she was supposed to give on butterflies that afternoon would be discarded. She was worried that it might affect her overall assignment and being the intern of Dr. Hastings, she wanted to impress her mentor with her knowledge and skills.

Brennan was careful to take pictures with her cell phone and with a camera she had brought for the two week summer camp before she actually started to examine the body. The camera belonged to her husband and used to belong to his grandfather. Booth had wanted her to take nature pictures with it and she had agreed. Now the camera was being used to take pictures of the crime scene and the rotting body and she was sure Booth was not going to be pleased, but it couldn't be helped.

After she examined the body, Brennan lectured the Woodchucks on what she had found so far and why she thought it was possible that the man had been a victim of foul play. Afterward, Brennan recommended that everyone continue down the trail to the camp since there was no way of knowing when the FBI would appear.

Reluctantly, the girls agreed to leave, but not before pleading with both Brennan and Dr. Hastings to stay. The intern Nancy White remained behind to make sure that Brennan wasn't alone and once Dr. Hastings, Julia and the Woodchucks were on their way Nancy was given a more advanced lecture by Brennan on the state of the body and the possible injuries they could witness without moving the remains.

By the time Booth and his group of FBI techs finally arrived, Brennan was on the verge of boredom. She quickly stood up and waited for her husband to come closer. "Booth, I would have expected you to get here earlier. What took you so long?"

Annoyed, Booth strode over to the log where Brennan and Nancy were standing and looked around trying to spot his daughter and the other Woodchucks. "What the hell, Bones. We had to drive to the nearest car park and hike in. The techs had to carry everything since we couldn't drive on the trail. Where's Christine and the rest of the kids?"

"They went ahead to the camp. It was getting late and they were getting bored and hungry." Brennan watched the techs begin to record everything surrounding the body while the other techs waited to begin their jobs.

"Bored?" Booth shook his head in disbelief. "A rotting corpse and those kids were bored? Those girls are definitely squints."

Since there was no reason to reply, Brennan sat down on the log and continued to observe the techs. "Once they are complete, I should be able to shift the body with the help of my intern. The victim is a male, in his forties. He's Caucasian and it would appear he was shot in the chest. From the amount of blood in the soil under and around the body, it would appear that his heart was ruptured and he bled out. This is the crime scene. This isn't a body dump."

After jotting down a few quick notes on some index cards, Booth sat down next to Brennan on the log. "Christine is okay?"

"Yes, I told you she was when I called you." Brennan shifted on the log so she was sitting closer to her husband. "She was disappointed that I sent her on to the camp. She wanted to watch you work."

Proud of his daughter, Booth smiled. "That kid will make a great squint someday, Bones. Smart, willing to learn, she's a mini you."

It was her greatest wish that Christine follow her in to forensic anthropology, but she felt that that was just a wish and would probably not come true. "She is showing interest in zoology. I don't think she wishes to follow me in my footsteps."

Booth heard the sadness in his wife's voice and felt bad for her. Brennan had been trying to push their daughter into forensics since the child could read, but lately he had seen signs that Christine wasn't interested. So far he'd kept that observation to himself, but now it looked like Brennan was noticing it too. "Hey remember when she said she wanted to be a car salesman? How long did that last, three months? Kids go through phases. She's ten and she might change her mind another hundred times before she chooses the profession she's really interested in. Hell, I was going to be a football star when I was in college and we see where that got me. Then I was in the Army and it was great, but after a while I knew I couldn't do that forever and when the FBI recruited me I finally found my real calling. I was an adult before I found my true profession. Christine is ten years old. Give it time."

Brennan placed her arm around Booth's arm and leaned against him. "I knew what I wanted to be when I was eight years old."

"Well yeah, but you're an out of the stratosphere genius." Booth loved her brain and it still amazed him that we were married and had children together. "Christine is smart, I mean she is our kid, but not like you. You have to give her time to choose what will make her happy. Sometimes it takes a while. Just be patient."

As she watched the techs begin to gather particulates and forensic evidence she knew that Booth was right. "Yes, you're right. I will be patient and I will be proud of her no matter what profession she chooses. It is her life and she has to live it."

"You know what Hank told me this morning before I dropped him off to Day Care?" Booth shifted on the log so he could see the side of Brennan's face. "He said he wants to be a butcher when he grows up."

Her eyes wide, Brennan released Booth's arm and turned to glare at her husband. "This is your fault . . . I . . . a butcher . . . you insist that you have to eat meat and sugar and . . . and . . ."

Before she lost her cool completely, Booth laughed. "I'm just kidding Bones. I don't think Hank even knows what a butcher is."

Unable to stop herself, Nancy who had been standing behind the couple for several minutes, snorted and clasped her hand of her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"Hey a squint with a sense of humor." Booth turned and smiled at the intern. "Pretty funny huh?"

Not amused, Brennan poked his side with her fist. "That wasn't funny, Booth."

"Well, it was a little funny." Booth stood up and glanced around the area as the techs worked. "Of course if he really does become a butcher I expect to get discounts. Meat is expensive."

Changing the subject, Brennan looked up at her husband and noticed how tired he appeared to be. "When we're done here, would you like to walk up the trail to the camp and stay overnight? You could sleep in my tent."

As good as that sounded, Booth turned her down. "Nah, I don't want to interrupt Christine's fun. She was really looking forward to this summer camp and the last thing she needs is her old Dad showing up. I'll just go back with the techs and drive home. It'll be okay. Besides, Hank might not appreciate me being gone too."

Brennan had hoped he'd stay since she was worried about him, but she decided he was probably right. "Well call me when you get home. That way I'll know you made it home safely."

Her kindness towards him never ceased to make him feel wanted. After he glanced around the area once more, he sat down next to Brennan and placed his arm around her shoulder. "You bet. Maybe we can plan a family camping trip this year. Hank is old enough that I think he'd enjoy it."

"That sounds like a nice idea." Brennan enjoyed the feeling of Booth's arm around her shoulders. It made her feel loved and she was going to miss that for the next 8 days. she was going to miss it a lot.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

(In the future)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I really appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

The car had barely stopped when Christine unbuckled her seat belt, opened the door and hopped out of the car. Racing to the front door, she opened the door quickly and slammed it against the wall as she raced inside forgetting to close the door behind her. "Dad . . . Dad where are you?"

Sitting in the living room with Hank watching cartoons, Booth stood up and called out to his daughter. "Christine what's going on? Are you and your Mom okay?"

His voice telling her where her father was, Christine raced into the living room and threw her arms around her father's waist. "Dad that was so cool. Camp was so much fun and who would have believed I would have got to see a real live body . . . well not live, but you know what I mean." Her enthusiasm was in over drive and she wasn't going to be calmed down easily.

Brennan entered the house shortly afterward carrying two bags in her hands. "Booth when you get the chance could you finish unloading the car. I need to start the laundry."

Excited to see his mother, Hank slid off of the couch and ran down the hallway. Throwing his arms around her hips, he laughed. "Mama, I missed you Mama."

So pleased to see her son, Brennan dropped the bags and squatted down to hug her son. "I am so happy to see you Hank. I missed you too."

After a sloppy kiss, Hank tried to pick up one of the bags, but found it too heavy. "I'll help with the laundry Mama."

Picking up the bags, Brennan carried them to the laundry room, her son following close behind her.

While that was going on, Christine released her father and hopped from one foot to the other. "Thank you for letting me stay. I thought for sure when Page stepped on the body that Mom would call you and you'd say I had to come home, but you didn't and I'm so glad you didn't. We got to see a black bear and her cub and we saw some snakes and squirrels and chipmunks and gosh just so many flowers and stuff. It was so much fun."

His daughter clearly in the middle of an adrenaline rush, Booth moved towards the front door. "Come on Pumpkin. You can help me take your stuff out of the car and bring your stuff into the house."

Following behind him, Christine prattled on about the camping trip and the things she had seen. As they removed the bags out of the car, Booth noticed a dent in the back bumper. "Whoa what happened here?"

Suddenly quiet, Christine stared at the bumper and bit her lower lip. Her silence deafening, Booth placed his hands on his hips and stared at his daughter. "Christine, I asked you a question."

Clearly nervous, Christine cleared her throat. "Well, remember that bear I mentioned? Well, um, Mom was driving real slow right after we left the parking area and she was pointing out some trees and plants, this was while we were driving to the highway . . . I saw the bear and then the cub start to cross the road and we stopped and the mother bear um . . . kind of charged us and Mom didn't want her to get hurt so she backed up the car and the car kind of went off the road and she kind of hit a tree stump sticking up out of the ground . . . the noise scared the mother bear and she ran back to where her cub was and they entered the woods and that's what happened."

"Well, as long as no one was hurt." Booth thought the explanation was ridiculous, but knowing his Bones, it was totally believable. "Come on, let's get this stuff in to the house like your Mom wants. Maybe we'll order pizza for dinner."

"Pizza." Christine raised her fist in the air. "Gosh I missed pizza."

Amused, Booth carried four bags into the house while his daughter followed along with the last one. After he dropped them on his bedroom floor, Booth stepped back into the hallway. "Christine come in here and get your other bag." Satisfied when she called out that she would, Booth made his way to the laundry room where Brennan was just finished sorting color and whites clothes with Hank's help.

Leaning against the doorframe of the small room, his arms crossed against his chest, Booth smiled. "I saw that little dent in the bumper. I barely noticed it."

"Christine told you." Brennan knew that the dent wouldn't be a secret for long, but she had hoped it would be longer than this. Now she realized that it would have been better if she had got the bags out of the car herself putting off Booth's reaction. "It's minor. I'll call the repair shop tomorrow to arrange to have it fixed or replaced."

"Yeah, I'm sure it won't be a bear to fix." Booth ran his tongue around the back of his teeth in an effort not to laugh.

Not amused in the slightest, Brennan turned to face her husband. "Are you going to do that all night?"

"What?" Booth held his hands out palms up and acted as innocent as he could. "I don't know what that means . . . oh, you can barely see it, but there's a scratch in the paint above the bumper too."

"Booth." She knew she was whining, but she was already tired of his puns. "I get it. Christine told you how the accident happened. I was merely trying to protect the mother bear. If she had come to harm her cub would have suffered."

His eyes wide, Hank turned to stare at his mother. "Wow you saw a bear?"

"Yes, I did." Brennan smiled at her son. "The bear charged my car and I backed away to protect her so her cub wouldn't become an orphan."

"Wow, you're a hero." Hank was so proud of his mother. "That's so cool."

With an arch of her eyebrow, Brennan smirked at her husband. "You see, I'm a hero and I'm cool."

Stepping closer, Booth placed his arms around his wife and kissed her. "You sure are Bones and you'll be even cooler this evening when you're barely dressed."

"Booth." Unable to hide it, Brennan laughed and pressed her forehead against his chest. "Booth stop that. I get it now stop it."

Chuckling, Booth kissed her once more and stepped back. "Well if I must I must. I mean if you can't bear my sense of humor then you can't."

With a growl in her throat, Brennan reached to grab her husband, but he turned and ran. Running down the hallway, he made it out of the front door before Brennan could reach him. Standing in the yard, Booth waved at her. "I'm going to go get us some pizza. Christine said she really missed pizza. She could barely be without it."

"Booth." Brennan shook her head and slammed the front door, leaving her laughing husband in the front yard.

Standing behind his mother, Hank laughed. "He barely got out of the house. You almost caught him."

"Oh not you too." Brennan rolled her eyes. Her kids had definitely inherited their father's sense of humor.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


End file.
